Early Childhood Education

As a dad of three young children and a public school teacher, Jake sees the early childhood education crisis from every angle. He see parents stretched to their breaking point. He sees children arrive at school with vastly different opportunities because of what happened before kindergarten. And he sees employers struggling because working families simply cannot find or afford reliable child care.

To Jake, this isn't just a child care issue. It's an economic issue, a workforce issue, and ultimately, a question about the kind of community we want to build.

We Need Local Leadership

The cost of child care has reached a point where many working families simply cannot make the math work anymore. At the same time, providers are struggling to stay open and educators are leaving the profession because they cannot earn a sustainable living.

Those aren't separate problems. They're symptoms of the same broken system.

Jake supports local solutions that make child care more affordable, expand access to infant and toddler care, strengthen the early childhood workforce, and remove unnecessary barriers that prevent high-quality providers from opening or growing.

That includes partnering with school districts, nonprofit organizations, employers, providers, and other local governments to find solutions that fit the needs of our community.

Investing in Families Is Investing in Our Economy

When parents have reliable child care, they can participate in the workforce.

When educators can afford to stay in the profession, children experience more stable, higher-quality care.

When providers can expand, employers have an easier time finding and retaining workers.

And when children receive a strong start, our schools and our community benefit for years to come.

Those aren't separate wins. They're all connected.

The Community We Want to Become

Ultimately, this conversation is about more than child care.

It's about whether teachers, nurses, first responders, small business employees, and young families can afford to build a life in the community they serve.

It's about whether Longmont and Boulder County remain places where working families can put down roots instead of being priced out.

Jake believes investing in early childhood education is one of the smartest investments we can make because it strengthens families, supports our local economy, and creates more opportunity for the next generation.